Session 7 - The Claws of the Lioness, The Demon Waters, Part 3

Dramatis Personae:

• The Thief - Randar the Keen of Ina-Zhunawl, Footpad and Lockbreaker - Played by Nathaniel
• The Paladin of St. Faruin - Alsuna of Vlamesht, Bulwark and Vanguard - Played by Sophia
• The Paladin of St. Gogar - Gogar of Eda, Bulwark and Temple Guard - Played by PJ
• The Barbarian - Adelmar of Adalsted, Hunter and Sea-Rover - Played by Jonathan G
• The Dwarven Craftpriest - Moriana of Beasthold, Dwarven Craft-catechist and Reliquary Guardian - Played by Andrea
• The Elven Spellsword - Braem the Burning, Arcanist-Guardian and Flametongue - Played by Ben
• The Elven Nightblade - Mellorondil, Arcanist-Avenger and Silent Slayer - Played by Scott
• The Mage - Tuvalt the Clumsy of Vlam-Kuzang, Arcanist and Warmage - Played by Chris
• The Mystic - Ali Abbas the Immaculate - Played by Paul
• The Dwarven Vaultguard - ??? - Played by Jonathan R

When last we left our heroes... Their resources somewhat depleted, and one of their party (Braem the Burning) naked, injured, and needing rest, the party debated about where to go next, eventually electing to move back towards another room closer to the entrance of the temple and there, to spike the doors and attempt to rest for the night.

It was during the second watch of the night that they heard a pronounced, rhythmic thumping on the west door. One of their previously overlooked hirelings (a dwarven vaultguard played by Jonathan R, who was visiting for the evening) decided to beat on the door back ,to see if it would have any effect. It seemed to result in the intensity and frequency of the thumps on the other side. There was a brief scramble to seal the door further before it burst open, collapsing due to dry rot to the weight on the other side of it. 

As it turns out, the source of the thumps was a large group of goblins -- but something had been done to them, so that in behavior they were more like zombies than goblins. The party christened them "gombie zoblins" and soon found themselves engaged in the fight of their life in the small chamber.

Randar the thief went down first, in almost the very first round. Gogar the Paladin, and Adelmar the Barbarian fought valiantly, but also fell in battle with the hoard. It was only thanks to the coordination of Mellorondil and Braem, the party's two elves, that they were not completely overwhelmed: Mellorondil doused a large section of the floor between himself and the zombie hoard in lamp oil, and then, as the zombies crossed it, Braem set it and the zombies ablaze with a flare of arcane power [Burning Hands], killing four of the mutated goblins.

Alas, all of this was not enough to save his companion Mellorondil, who fell during the next round, the fourth one of our heroes cut down by the goblins. Eventually, the party managed to mop up what was left of the strange creatures. They checked the bodies of their companions--all had been slain, but Mellorondil lived long enough to bequeath his gear and equipment to the still-naked Braem--before examining the corpses of the "gombie zoblins," finding them a fusion of goblins and some kind of rotting swamp matter, something reminiscent of the evil demi-dryad the party had fought back in The Sign of the Eagle. In the aftermath of the battle, the companions took some time to bury their fallen party members in a corner of the room.

Down four party members and in bad need of a safe place to rest, the companions decided to now risk the journey back to town. Under cover of darkness, they headed back to Aesta-Suvash, avoiding an encounter with a pair of hobgoblins along the way thanks to Braem's sharp eyesight. As the hobgoblins passed, Braem overheard this exchange:

"I tell you, Klarg, I don't like the looks of this thing. How do we know these Deep Ones can be trusted?"

"What does it matter as long as we're paid? Stop complaining and hurry up!"

As far as the companions could tell, the hobgoblins were headed towards the temple they had just left.

Limping back into town with many of their companions fallen, the party planned to check in with their employers (Ranset at the Sign of the Eagle; the mage from the Brotherhood of the Dragon's Heart [the local Mage's Guild] who had hired the Order of the Old God), alert the local temple of St. Gogar to the danger presented by the infested temple just a few hours outside of the city, and rest and re-supply before heading back out beyond the city's walls.

Monsters Killed:

• 8 Gombie Zoblins

Player Characters Killed:

• The Thief - Randar the Keen of Ina-Zhunawl, Footpad and Lockbreaker - Played by Nathaniel
• The Paladin of St. Gogar - Gogar of Eda, Bulwark and Temple Guard - Played by PJ
• The Barbarian - Adelmar of Adalsted, Hunter and Sea-Rover - Played by Jonathan G
• The Elven Nightblade - Mellorondil, Arcanist-Avenger and Silent Slayer - Played by Scott

Treasure Recovered:

• 60 Silver Pieces (6 GP)

Notes: Scott B has decided to bring in his Advanced character (a Mage at level 5) as his replacement character. This character is the mage who hired the Order of the Dead God. Both PJ and Jonathan G are bringing in clerics of St. Gogar, who the party will meet in the next session when Alsuna the Paladin goes to the temple to alert them to the danger posed by the cursed temple outside the city.